Mezzanine

“Located within the Dominick Hotel, had breakfast at Mezzanine, and will say that the space is great for an early morning meeting in Soho. Yes the service was a little slow this morning but the food was great and the atmosphere is nice. Would definitely return if I had another early meeting in the area.”

“(February 2020) Only due to our continuing patronage of The Dominick we decided to give it 3 stars, for with all honesty it deserves 2 stars, best case scenario. First of all, last time we had our lunch at Cafe Mezz, about 10 months ago, we were seated in the same area where the breakfast is served, featuring two levels and glass walls with more or less direct views, depending on a table. This time around, we were led into a different area (to the left of the levator and not to the right, the breakfast area). Smallish area, only two tables got an access to the windows (Varick St and not Spring St as the breakfast area offers), no tablecloths, dim lighting. And then the food. Even though the exorbitant prices are the universal plague of all the eateries located inside hotels, but even considering that, $24 for a small plate of spring rolls that normally costs five bucks is an outrageous markup. The Annapolis Jumbo Lump Crab Cake, offered at $24, was a single crab cake instead of customary two. The service was a sub-quality one, for with close-to-empty dining area, it took the staff over 10 minutes to even approach our table, for both lunch and breakfast. The breakfast next day was a bit better, the 3-egg omelet was good (you get a choice of two: mushroom, kale, feta, english spinach, green asparagus, arugula, parmesan, blue cheese, cheddar, locally sourced cherry tomatoes, Catsmo smoked salmon, or Benton's country ham; every extra is $4). The hotel's main restaurant, the former Spring and Varick, has been closed for over one year, its new reincarnation's (Vestry, headed by the Michelin-Starred Chef Shaun Hergatt) opening has been repeatedly postponed, so right now, a much better choice would be to eat out at any of the multiple area's restaurants. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (April 2019) Cafe Mezz is now the place where breakfast and all-day dining is served at the Dominick Hotel (while the hotel's main restaurant, the Spring & Varick is undergoing renovations; scheduled to reopen in September 2019). To get to Cafe Mezz (also known as Mezzanine) you got to press 'M' in the elevator. The dining area is divided in two: the main level and the step-down lower level. Whether you are in the step-down section or the main part of the Mezzanine, try to get a table by the window; it provides for a much better overall experience. The service is by and large good, even though not very polished or highly skilled. As the title goes, our lunch and breakfast experiences were different. The lunch was undoubtedly 5 stars. The food was great and priced on a budget-friendly level, well, for a restaurant located in a 5-star hotel. Every dish we had, from the light and diet-friendly Organic Chicken Soup, to Big Eye Tuna Tartare, from Atlantic Salmon to Spaghetti Pomodoro, everything was prepared right, served neatly and appetizingly, the food was fresh and delicious. Now, the breakfast affair was a different story. The food was still good, the choices satisfactory, and the preparation and serving were very good. But! The breakfast prices are something that every potential diner should be aware of. While it is a common practice that hotel meals are priced in a quite steep, if not skyrocketing, way, there should be limits. At Mezzanine, every piece of toast and every coffee refill is not free. As a result, our breakfast featuring 2 egg dishes and coffees was $146.43 (including gratuity), whereas our lunch the day before, featuring 2 appetizers and 2 full main courses, not the cheapest at that, was $136.32 (inc. gratuity). This is simply not right. We personally didn't bear the brunt, for we had a $100 dining credit and free breakfast for 2 ($93 value). However, with the existing breakfast pricing policy in place, we would suggest one heads to any of the multiple breakfast joints abundant in the west Soho or north Tribeca.”

“Nobody attending the check in desk, older couple walks inside and ignores front desk and gets asked how many and gets seated. Reception comes back and tells my wife and I that there is a 10 min wait. I say "that couple came in after us, and you just found them a seat" and she says sorry there's a wait. So much for staying here, being guests at the hotel and treating people fairly. Let's see how the food is, but so far 0 stars for service. UPDATE: Finally seated about 15 minutes later, and that experience carried straight into breakfast. We were seated while two different tables were actively complaining about the service. I felt better seeing the couple that was seated earlier looking annoyed and having no water or drinks on their table. We had the impudence to ask for drinks and coffee, and then looked through the menu. A whole, 40+ minutes go by before we get our coffee. Something crazy going on here, over half the food going to tables was being sent back to the kitchen. Not over cooked steaks…things like waffles and pancakes. How is that even possible? Waiters seemed stressed out, but ample people available. One lady just setting and cleaning tables, waiting for people to leave, and setting and cleaning tables. Meanwhile, people don’t have water and food. Table next to us left without paying the bill. Another table complained and had their meal comped. Absolute dumpster fire, but highly entertaining in that “watching it implode” kind of way. Shashuka was good. Medium rare steak was cold and well done, not even sure how that is possible. Chicken sausage has the thickest rubber’iest casing I’ve ever had, to the point where we were wondering if it was still covered in plastic. After all this, they have 20% gratuity pre-billed! How is this part of a “five diamond” hotel? Absolutely ridiculous experience. To all you trying it out, good luck, god speed, bring an e-book.”

“Poor Mezzanine breakfast: slow, disinterested service; unattentive staff. Unwelcoming atmosphere. Seek better options nearby. Avoid disappointment!”

“made a reservation for 1pm, received a message that the reservation was passed on to another restaurant within the same hotel. We expected it to be close enough in quality but the food at el takoy was TERRIBLE. Tasted like frozen food bought in safeway. They somehow managed to mess up guacamole too. service was great.”